1 Week On

It has been an interesting week, mainly the job interview process and then relying on liquids for food!

I have craved solids, fish and chips when my friend and I went for a walk. A roast chicken dinner that Bens dad can make - omg it was a temptation sitting there at the kitchen table last night. But I just drank my Chicken Soup instead.

I woke up this morning and went onto the trusty Wii Fit for my weigh in. My BMI has gone to 40.1 which means I have lost another 4kg!!! I am now sitting at 126.7kg! I have lost 8.8kg in 3 weeks that’s insane; I’ve never lost that amount. I am no longer in the 130's it is such a great feeling. I hope that by the time I see my surgeon on 25 June that I will be down into my 110's! Wouldn’t that be awesome?

On a post called My Progress I’ve put a chart on there to track my loss, weight and bmi so you can always have a look at that.

My Progress

5 days on ....

It’s been 5 days since my surgery and what a few days it has been. I was released as you all know on Tuesday; Tuesday afternoon was advised that I have a job interview the following day. I made sure I was drugged up enough to go. That was ok, the train ride and tram ride was good, it was nice to get out. I got home and everything was good I just needed a sleep the morning really took it out of me. I received a call late that afternoon saying I was successful for another interview the following day. The following day was the same, I woke up but I didn’t take anything (silly me) throughout the interview my stomach kept on churning and I don’t think I put on my best performance. Whatever happens happens really.

So I thought Thursday would be a rest day but I had the second interview, and then I had to pick Ben up from work and then we were heading to a concert (Pussycat Dolls feat Lady Gaga) I really tried to enjoy every moment of it but it just couldn’t my stomach was off a bit. Yesterday was good, I just relaxed read my book, my friend Sez came over with her puppy – now I’m not good with walking long distances yet, so we just walked about 500m to a kiosk by the water and got some lunch. Sez ordered fish and chips and omg it smelt dandy. Only another 3 more weeks then I can have some mashed up fish! I then continued to read my book for the rest of the afternoon except my dog Josie who was desexed on Monday decided to rip out her stitches so we took her to the vet and now she has a bucket on her head, she looks so funny!

I am a bit concerned with how my stomach (if it’s even that) is reacting. It makes a feeling of something being stuck then it shifts itself (like when something goes down the wrong pipe) and then its fine, it’s been doing that be for the past few days about once an hour. It’s just uncomfortable, so I’m trying to research it.

I haven’t weighed myself yet, I don’t feel any lighter but on Monday I will jump onto the trusty Wii Fit.

The Day After

The day after – Well it went fine, all I wanted to do was have a shower, but I need to wait until to the day nurse staff was on so I could double check it was ok. I didn’t sleep very well last night, I just kept waking up every 20mins of so. It was interesting have the nurses checking my blood pressure every hour to make sure I was ok.

My roommate had a bit of a problem with not being able to burp, it told her my story of when I finally did it felt so good. She finally burped and then could not stop burping. I have only burped the once. We both got to check out at the same time, her husband was there first so I said bye! She lives in Whyalla (good distance away) and so I gave her my contact details just in case she wanted to catch up about the surgery stuff. She gave me hers too.

Luckily when Ben picked me up it was in his sister’s car, I don’t think I would have been able to get home without crying if I went in Ben’s car. When I got home, I went for a sleep – 2 whole hours! It was so good. Ben bought me some cup of soups, so I had one for lunch, as breakfast was a broth soup and jelly, which I didn’t have much of.

I pottered around the house and received a phone call about a job interview, I was thinking that I really did not want to go but I am going anyway ill manage. I’ll just take it easy. I went to bed a bit earlier than usual, about 7pm, and I woke up at 130am. I managed to drift back to sleep for an hour or so and now I’m awake, hence why I’m updating my blog!

I think from now ill blog every few days because really nothing is going to change much. So my new beginning has arrived, I hope it works out how I planned.

Surgery

Surgery day! Well I woke up and got ready for the hospital and weighed myself, after my week I was expecting to put some on, but I lost 200grams, better than nothing, so pre op diet total weight loss was 4.8kg! Since I was fasting from Midnight, there was nothing to eat. Ben and I got to the hospital at 930am, I checked myself in and about 15mins later I was showed up to the waiting room. I was a bit tired probably due to the limited food. But I started to read my book. One lady went into have the same surgery at about 1030am, so I thought I would directly after her. It was 1230 when I looked at my clock on my phone and realised that my operation was not happening for a while.

The nurse came in to have me sign consent forms and I had to have a shower with some special stuff, and then I returned to the waiting area. It was 2pm when I was wheeled down to the theatres. I was in Theatre 2 and I was in waiting bay 2, the nurse said I should buy a lotto ticket! All I can remember is looking at the clock saying 220pm and then waking up at 315pm. I got all anxious because I really needed to burp but I couldn’t, so I started to cry. All of a sudden a small burp came out and I was happy! I felt more human.

After being in recovery for about 40 mins I was then wheeled to my room. I was in room 434. It was a shared room, but that’s ok. It’s always better to have someone there with you. I was alone at first then I remember Ben coming in with a bunch of flowers. When I was wheeled into my room another bunch of flowers with a teddy bear was waiting for me. It was from my eldest sister. That surprised me.

Ben apparently stayed for about 2 hours, I couldn’t tell, I thought he was only there for 15mins or so before I chucked him out. I just wanted to sleep. My roommate came in about 8, she was lovely. We compared cuts and how long we had to wait; she was the last surgery for the day. We got some jelly and vegetable soup and yoghurt for dinner; I could only get through a couple of mouthfuls of jelly. I did get a side effect to the surgery, I got the joy of Shoulder Tip pain, and it was painful.

All in all it went well. My roommate and I were up until 1am because we couldn’t sleep it was too uncomfortable. But we got through the night.

Day Fourteen - Pre Op diet

Day Fourteen – tomorrow I am going into hospital and finally being banded! The last few days I’ve really not followed my diet and I think the scales will say that I have gained weight, but then again I may just surprise myself.

Today was my day where I went “this is my last day for 6 weeks to eat normal food, bring it to me” so I had my Milo for breakfast, and then had some crumpets with jam and butter. After checking out a few houses, Ben and I got some Subway cookies and an Iced Coffee. I had a Chicken Parmie for lunch and ate a few chips. For dinner, I made Ben cook me a lamb roast, omg heaven. I love lamb!!!! Ben is even going to make me a hot chocolate pudding for dessert.

Just re-reading my blog and noticing the food that I have eaten...omg! Am I just the ultimate sabotager I do really well, then I just stuff it up with the crap I have eaten, and it’s not even because I’m about to have my surgery, I do this all the time! I know I will stick to the diet placed upon me from tomorrow as I don’t want to be the cause of something going wrong with the band. Please it’s interesting to see and most importantly recognise!

Well I post again when I’m out of hospital my surgery is scheduled for noon. Stay safe!

Day Thirteen - Pre Op Diet

Day Thirteen – this was ok, ok well I fell off the wagon but I’m really close to the surgery so I will be fine. Last night after dinner, Ben suggested we go out and get dessert! I had not eaten dessert in probably 4 weeks so I was all for it. We went down to the local supermarket and bought some Cornettos! I also decided I wanted to watch some movies and I picked up a big bag of Cheezels too. So that night I ate half of bag of chips and one ice-cream.

When I woke up I immediately thought of the other ice-cream sitting in the freezer, so guess what breakfast was a cornetto. For the rest of the day I only drank Pepsi Max and kept myself entertained by reading books. I caught up with a friend just after 3pm and had a coffee – well mine was a black tea of course and we were just chatting and chatting and chatting when her granddaughter asked her if she can have McDonalds for dinner.

I immediately messaged Ben to have him come and get me, but it was a bit hard due to the location of where she lived and the traffic due to an AFL game. So I ended up staying for dinner. We went to McDonalds and I think because I knew that I would no doubt never step place in a McDonalds again (well I hadn’t for over six months already) that I ordered a medium meal a McChicken and also a cheeseburger on the side. After dinner we ate a soft serve cone with a flake in it.

I came home after that, I did not feel guilty about what I ate because I know I’m never going into a McDonalds again. However I do need to stop just eating everything that I wouldn’t normally have anyway. Where is the purpose in that!

I just realised that I did all of this on the Thirteenth day – isn’t thirteen an unlucky number? Let’s see what Day Fourteen holds. Only 2 more sleeps to go

Day Twelve - Pre Op Diet

Day Twelve – this was my last day at work. Everything went great food wise. I had my Milo, ate my carrots and celery and had my shake but we also had a meeting and I ordered a skinny latte so not bad. That was it for today (well my vegies are steaming on the stove as I type). I think I did great for the extreme mess I made yesterday!

At Work, they were so nice; they gave me a bunch of beautiful Orchids! I’m not really a flower person, don’t get me wrong, flowers are pretty, but I don’t know much about them. These were amazing! The person that picked them did an awesome job!

I also got a card from work as it is the last day in the department and a $50 voucher – this will come in handy when I desperately need new clothes! Another friend at work gave me her own card to wish me luck for the surgery. It’s amazing how it has come up so quick. I am so glad that it has. I’m just glad that it is finally here.

The hospital called today as well. They confirmed that they request my presence at 10am to check in with my surgery planned for 12 noon (well that’s if nothing gets in the way). So this weekend I’m going to catch up with a friend and then pack for the hospital. It’s finally here!

Day Eleven - Pre Op Diet - Endoscopy

Day Eleven – well wasn’t today just interesting. I had to fast since 12am in order for everything to be ok with my endoscopy. I think it was because I knew I couldn’t eat anything that I was so hungry! I just wanted to get to the hospital and have the endoscopy over and done with so that I could home and eat something!

Ben and I got to the hospital at 745am, I filled in my form, got my sticker on my wrist and waited to be called. When I was called, they asked me more questions, gave me a gown to change into and some foot things. This is the first time I’ve ever been admitted to hospital and I was thinking, this is kind of fun. I guess I would only think this because having the Lapband Surgery is completely voluntary and if I was there for an accident or something like that then I guess I might be thinking other things.

They tried to make gurgle some horrible stuff. I tried too, but I’m not a good gurgler and omg this stuff tasted foul! It was my anaesthetists’ birthday and everyone was commenting on her. They tried to find a vein in my arm to draw some blood but couldn’t find one, so they took it from my hand! Omg you should have seen it! Wicked stuff. When Dr Kow came in automatically through the doors she wished her happy birthday. Within minutes of having a joke with Dr Kow I was out! I don’t even remember falling asleep. I just remember looking at the clock at 850am and the next thing I knew I was in Recovery at 920am!

The first thing I said to the nurse was “hmm I dribbled” she laughed and asked how I was going. I was fine, no sore throat nothing, I just wanted to see Ben and get out of there. They kept me in that recovery for 30 mins then transferred me to another recovery for another hour. I got changed and waited for Ben.

Ben finally got there and we headed towards home. Ben wanted to go to IKEA and I was really not in the mood, I wanted some food! IKEA has a restaurant in there and I decided why not. This was a bad decision as omg I wanted the cakes etc and I thought to myself “well jess, you don’t really need to be on this diet and Dr Kow did say to make sure I eat something with substance after”. So I got my tray and picked up a cup for soft drink, and dark chocolate cake and ordered a quiche and chips. Overall I think the cake and the chips was the worst thing.

Ben and I had a quick browse through IKEA after lunch (omg I want to buy some things when I finally get my house!) and when we were leaving I saw the $1 Hotdog sign and I was still a bit peckish so I got one of them too. I felt like such a pig! I was glad that we left the store because I’m sure I could have eaten more.

I needed to get some stuff at Woolies e.g. new deodorant etc and just as we were about to get to Woolies Ben goes “look Jess, Jam donut things, just small ones” I didn’t even look at Brumby’s when I walked past them, I’m getting used to not letting eyes go over them so then I don’t know what I’m missing. We finished out shopping and as we were heading back I checked out the food stuff Ben was talking about. I didn’t really get the big deal, it didn’t seem great, but the Iced Finger bun did! I kind of figured I’ve already blew it why not have one big last hurrah! And I handed over $1.50 for my finger bun.

When I got home, I thought to myself great no more temptations it’s now time to just concentrate fully on the last 3 days of your diet. When I decided to have a look in the fridge to get some Pepsi Max when I saw the Iced Coffee! I thought again, why not, last hurrah day! I then poured a glass and omg did I thoroughly enjoy that!

I called my Mum to let her know about the procedure, and it was good to have a chat with her, she is actually flying to the States on Sunday- lucky her, so I’ll have to sms her about my surgery.

Bens sister came back from Sydney yesterday and she bought back a couple of Krispy Kreme donuts – omg this is my weakness, I love these so much and I’m glad they don’t have a store here in Adelaide otherwise I’m sure I would 160kg+! She left a message saying she left a surprise in the Blue Container in the kitchen.

What do you know 4 Original Glazed Donuts!!!!! (Now don’t get me wrong I will share with Ben, I will only eat 2, but it has to be tonight so then tomorrow I’m strict on my diet).

Tonight’s dinner will be my steamed vegies and that will be the end of my “last hurrah” I don’t really feel that guilty as I know all the stuff I have eaten today is food that I will struggle with after the surgery.

Day Ten - Pre Op Diet

Day Ten – I’m starting to think my life is boring. Nothing else changed with my diet except instead of grapes I ate two medium bananas (yah to free fruit at work). I’m a bit excited to go to sleep tonight, tomorrow I finally get to have the Endoscopy and that only means that my surgery is only days away! The next blog entry will be much more interesting as ill get to write all about the Endoscopy – wish me luck!

Day Nine - Pre Op Diet

Day Nine was the same as any other day on this diet, not much to report. However, i did think that maybe my meal last night would make me hungrier throughout the day but it didn’t! I hope to lose 1kg this week. That would just be amazing!

Day Eight - Pre Op Diet - The Weigh In

Day Eight was nerve racking! Had I lost weight? I couldn’t tell, sure I wasn’t eating much but did it have the right effect. I got up early and headed for the Wii Fit. I was thinking I would lose 2kg or so and that would be all. The scales told me a different story, I had lost

4.6kg!!!

Can you believe it! I’ve never lost that much in a week before it was like I was on The Biggest Loser (yes I have applied for that show before, not successful by the way) so I am now 130.9kg, I’m 900grams off my goal for my pre-surgery weight.

I continued with what I had usually been doing at work with food, and that was successful. However, for dinner last night Ben and I went out to the local pub. I ordered a Hawaiian Schnitzel and Chips. I really wanted some meat this was going to be my reward for doing an awesome job.

I know, I know – don’t reward yourself with food but my surgeon said I didn’t need to do the diet and I’m doing it anyway and I don’t see the harm for one meal. What’s the saying “Everything in Moderation”? Even though the meal was massive I could hardly eat it all and I literally gave half of my Schnitzel and chips to Ben. I was satisfied with what I ate even though it was a much smaller portion than usual but I guess I should be getting used to that.

Day Seven - Pre Op Diet

Day Seven went ok; I think I could of done better however the Wii Fit tomorrow morning will let me know. I have noticed that I am bit snappier towards Ben. I think this may be due to limited meat in my diet. I had my Milo for breakfast then went and did some housework. We then went to go and have a look at houses and I knew that lunch was going to be out and about. We went to Woolies and I bought a Banana and drank 300ml of Iced Coffee this was at about 1130ish and I thought that that would be lunch. After a few more houses, Ben wanted to get “lunch” so at the place I just got a Fruit Smoothie and continued on with the day.

At about 3pm I was hungry!!! Lucky we went to Bens mum house and I had a cup of tea there to get my through. It’s now 6pm and I’m cooking my vegies, I think it’s going to be an early night for me. I’m so tired! Looking at houses can take it out of you. I guess tomorrows post will be more interesting with the Weigh In

Til Then *waves*

Day Six - Pre Op Diet

Day Six was quite interesting I really wondered how I would go on a weekend, with no work to occupy myself. With a little help from a friend I think I did awesome! Tomorrow will be good too it is just Saturdays that I worry about. Today Ben and I slept through the alarm which of course made him late for work. This was a good thing for me because it meant that a few hours had already passed. As he was late, he wanted me to pick up some breakfast for him after I dropped him off (we only have one car, and I wanted it for today) being a good girlfriend that I am I went to the local Subway and got him a Bacon and Egg sub. At that stage I didn’t even think of ordering one for myself. They had a combo deal with a 6” breakfast and coffee for $4.95. I ended up with the coffee.

As I dropped it off to him and headed home, I started to drink my coffee. It wasn’t too bad, and with that thought I knew that there was lots of milk in it and therefore I substituted my Milo for the Subway Coffee. I then took a drive out to see a dear friend let’s call her Saz who I had not seen in a few weeks. It was 11ish by the time I got there and Ben was finishing work at 530. I had 5 hours with my friend, which was awesome.

She made me a Tea – no milk or sugar and we started to chat. It was just after 1 when we decided to go and get some lunch; I was going to just grab a Garden Salad or Fruit Salad for lunch, when we ended up in Woolies to gather our lunch purchases. Note: Woolies, not great with single meals. I was walking around the store trying to work out what could I get? My trusty carrots and celery and Optislim shake was at home. I decided that I would just get an Iced Coffee. I don’t know what was wrong with me and locating my favourite drink but I just couldn’t find it. As I walking down one of the isles I noticed little puree tubs of fruit. Ding Ding – lunch! I headed to the checkout with my Puree Fruit and Coke Zero!

I thought I would end up eating 2 tubs, but I only ate one (is my stomach already shrinking?) By about 4pm I was feeling hungry. It was time to pick up Ben and head home. As soon as I walked in the door I headed straight to the kitchen to steam my vegies!

Tomorrow is the last day of the week of my own Pre Op Diet and I’m anxious to jump on the Wii Fit to see my progress, but that will need to wait until Monday as I don’t want to end up jumping on the Wii Fit everyday just to know my weight.

Day Five - Pre Op Diet

Day Five can you believe it? I’m five days into my diet and its going good.  I really think it’s because I know I have an end date to this madness of vegies.  Today was just like all the other days, except today I was so busy with work I had to force myself to eat the rest of my grapes.

One of the girls at work let’s call her Em – she asked me to go to the pub next door after work for a drink, my instinct told me say No, keep focused on your diet and you will be fine.  Then I did think about it a bit more, why couldn’t I go for a drink after work? Just because Vodka, Lime and Lemonade tastes sooooo good, it didn’t mean that I couldn’t have a Diet Coke at the pub and be social.  So I went.

I’m starting to make behavioural changes that I wouldn’t have ordinarily completed ... this is going to be a great life 

Day Four - Pre Op diet

Day Four was quite ordinary, I did not go to the gym this morning but then again I don’t usually go on Thursday but maybe I should have because I didn’t go on Monday.  Meh.  I managed to get through the day with 3 cups of tea and my pre prepared carrots, celery and grapes with the delightful Optislim.

Today I think was the best day so far on my Pre-Op diet and with only 10 days to go I reckon I’m going to make it.  I have my Endoscopy this time next week so I’m sure that will be my motivator and as I’m typing this the procedure would be all over this time next week and I’ll be sitting here blogging about it.

Tonight Ben and I went and saw a Mortgage Broker because we looking at buying a house, my own home.  I just can’t wait to have a place I can call my own (and the banks) and whilst we were waiting, I decided I wanted a coffee.  Now usually I would order a Skim Latte which in essence isn’t that bad but I was thinking about milk content etc and decided that the easiest thing to order was a Flat White. I ordered the biggest one of course and whilst I was waiting for it I was looking at all the cakes and evil food and thought to myself “maybe I can order one because I won’t be able to have it later” but then I realised that I need to stick to my diet and that was a temptation that I just beaten!

It was then that I wondered with my mega huge coffee – how much milk was really in this?  Now you guys all know that I’m not eating any fat in my diet except for my Milo in the morning and it shouldn’t be an issue, the coffee, but I just felt a little bit guilty, like I should have ordered a smaller one.  I guess next time I might just do that!

Til tomorrow *waves*

Day Three - Pre Op Diet

Day Three started the same as Day Two, I got up and went to the gym – my arm was a bit from the “flu shot” but I got up and went. I pushed a bit harder but I still have a problem with my back from a couple of weeks ago when I thought I was super strong and leg pressed 82kg with one leg, but my back decided that I was being a showy and decided to pack it in! I still went to the gym, just refrained from lower back exercises and that’s when I knew that I had actually changed my behaviour, usually I would have just not gone to the gym and then it would have taken weeks to get me back in there, but I went on.

I grabbed my carrots, celery, grapes and a few Optislim sachets and headed to work. My stomach was grumbling at 9am! I was looking at my selection of food and was thinking “this isn’t going to be enough, today I’m really going to struggle” so I decided to make a Black Tea and got stuck into work. It was 1130 when I finally looked at the time and decided that now was a perfect time for some grapes. I was munching away and I looked down and saw that I had a few left. What was I going to do in the afternoon when the hunger strikes again? I went to the kitchen and made another tea and that’s when I saw it, a Banana! I love Bananas they are so awesome. I picked it up (we have free fruit at work, so I didn’t steal someone else’s lunch ;)) and went back to my desk.

It was lunch time at 130pm today, and I had managed so well. I was thinking to myself, this Pre-Op diet of mine might actually work. After eating my carrots and celery sticks, I made my way to the kitchen to make my shake. I was so careful not to spill this one (even though I bought in extras) and success! Shake made with no mess wooohooo. At 4pm I eat the rest of my grapes and it tied me over until dinner. Ben made me some stir-fry vegies with garlic and soy sauce and hoi sauce, I could only eat a couple of mouthfuls, and maybe my stomach is shrinking on its own!!!

So that was Day Three – I think I’m getting used of this diet! Only 11 more days to go – not that I’m counting.

Day Two - Pre Op Diet

Day Two started great, i got up and went to the gym – even with an unco arm! I came home and made my Milo (this is going to be my drink always) and got ready for work. I packed my grapes and celery and carrots and walked to the station.

First break at work, so far so good, no deviations and only a small amount of grapes eaten. I was on a roll, i knew there would be something to distract my plan and when Lunch time hit my prophecy was revealed. I was having a chat with some of the girls in the kitchen making my shake and once mentioned that she was doing the Tony Ferguson Diet (good on her) and all of a sudden my shake tipped all over the bench!!! One of the girls commented that i should go and buy some lunch instead but no i didn’t i just ate my celery and carrots.

After my lunch i had my “flu shot” i was sitting there waiting for it to be done and i was called. All done and dusted in a matter of minutes and then the she gave me a lolly (what is with my work giving me food) i didn’t realise how much they did until i started actively looking at it. So i took the lolly and gave it a friend. I decided that since i had spilled my shake i was going to get an Iced Coffee this is my favourite drink and i made a decision that if the small one was around 150 calories then i would buy it.

I approached the fridge in the deli hoping that it would be (i never really looked at calories before) and picked up the two “light” iced coffees, my favourite one was 157 calories (SCORE!!) and the other 180 calories so i bought it as my replacement and rationalised it that im only eating vegies and the milo in the morning that 157 calories and 1.9grams of fat is ok, just not every day.

Tonight i think im hungry the most, Ben taught me how to cook Vegies on the stove and i have cut up my carrots, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower and it is steaming away as we speak! I think its ready so im off to bowl it up.

Day Three tomorrow – should be good.

Day One - Pre Op Diet

I was a little bit nervous starting the first day, i was anxious to know what my starting weight would be. I got out of bed early this morning and prepared to face Wii Fit. To my surprise the Balance Board had run out of battery!!! I searched the house for a replacement but was unsuccessful. I thought to myself "this isnt going to be accurate, maybe start tomorrow" but i knew that if i didnt start today i would be cheating myself for the next two weeks.

So i made myself morning Milo, this time with only 2 teaspoons not 4 tabletable spoons and headed out to work with my already prepared grapes and carrots knowing that i had an Optislim in my draw at work.

I was doing great, i was drinking my water, drinking Black Tea with no sugar or milk when an email went out at work saying "new promotion, to celebrate you all get a donut" (and i wonder how i manage to stay as fat as i am) when they were coming around handing them out, they missed my desk which was good but i had a contingency plan i was going to give it to the guy next me.

At Lunch time i made my Optislim shake and chewed on my celery and carrots. I didnt feel hungry, i was thinking of getting chocolate at about 3pm but knew that i should soilder on, so i made another tea and munched on grapes. Work was over!!!!!! I jumped on the train and knew that i had to go the shops to pick up some more Vegies. My diet is just going to be Fruit, Vegies and Optislim wooohooo excitement plus!

Now i dont go to the shops often, i have no idea what to buy but Ben said to just get all the Vegies i wanted to eat and some lunchmeat for him oooh and batteries (poor balance board). Wicked i had a plan! I deviated to the chocolate section but not for me, for Ben, i bought him a chocolate, one i dont like because i know im going to be the worst girlfriend over the next two weeks.

I got home and put the Vegies into sections (Ben has to teach me how to cook them, he will be home in an hour, starving right now by the way, so thats why im on here so no fridge time for Jess) and put the batteries in the Balance Board. It was now time to face the music. Its funky, computer game music with a twist hahaha. I jumped on expecting to be my weight from my first appointment on 8 January 2009 and in March 2009 (it was the same) which was around the 138kg mark.

As i did the core balance test, it finally gave me my weight of 135.5kg! I had lost a little bit of weight i am so stoked! My goal with the band is to 85kg so that means i have 50.5kg to lose in total for the people at the clinic to believe they have succeeded but i have a personal weight loss goal of 70kg. You know what, i know ill be toned etc so im going to blissfully happy with a comfortable figure that can carry off a Size 12.

Ben just sent me a message, he will be home in 30mins wooohoooo dinnner - wonder if he will like his treat. Tomorrow is Day 2 and only 12 more days on this diet after that :)

First Mini Goal: Be under 130kg by 25 May 2009. Can i do it, yes i can!

The Pre-Op Appointments

With my decision to go through the Adelaide Bariatric Centre, they required that i see my surgeon twice, the dietician and the physician before the surgery would take place. On 8 January 2009 i went to see my surgeon Dr Lilian Kow.

On this appointment she just went over the procedure and gave me a book to have a look at about what they actually did. Since i made the decision in April 2008 i had researched the procedure for hundreds of hours, and i assumed that i knew everything and i would just book in my surgery date. But alas this was not to happen. Dr Kow stated that i needed to read through the book and then if i was comfortable with the information to come back and see her.

As soon as i left her office i made another appointment, this was for 3 weeks later, i wished it was the following day but i guess everything happens for a reason.

The second appointment was with Dr Kow again, she asked if i had any questions about the material and i did have something, i wanted to know “if a fill would be put in automatically” she said no, the swelling alone will act as a fill. And so it was this appointment on the 29 January 2009 i learned of my surgery date, it made it feel more real that there wasn’t an open day in 2009 that this would eventually come to fruition. Dr Kow said that she didn’t have anything available immediately after April 18 (the whole private health insurance lapsing thing) and the next date available was 25 May 2009. Dr Kow wanted me to also have an Ultrasound - id never had one of those before so that was going to be an adventure. So there it was, 25 May 2009 my date, i put a countdown on my Facebook so i could monitor it, and when it was first set up it said 112 days and today it says 14. That time has flown.

My third appointment was to see the Bariatric Physician on 18 March 2009. I decided to take the day off work so that i can get the Ultrasound done too and then go off to see the Physician. The Ultrasound was weird, it hurt a bit, they kept pushing into my stomach, now i know i have alot of fat but i guess the 30 mins of pushing and prodding was a bit much. Now i know what to expect if i get pregnant. The Bariatric Physician was just to go over my medical history, im healthy im just fat and after everything i have tried i expressed that this should be my last attempt as this should work if i follow the guidelines. As my pulse was high (don’t ask me how, i don’t know why) the physician requested for me to have an ESG done. This was going to be interesting as i haven’t had one of those before. Ive never had anything out of a normal GP procedures done. So when i left his rooms i went to the place to have the ECG done, it was literally net door and why not get it out of the way. So in i go and the medical professional goes, “hmm i don’t actually know how to use this machine” and so with that coming out of her mouth i said “thats ok i will come back at a later date”.

My final appointment was on the 8 April 2009 when i went to see the Dietician, i was anxious about this one as i wanted to know what i was supposed to eat 2 weeks before the surgery. I was a bit early and the ESG place was open so i went in to get that done. What an experience, when this took place i had to remember what my parents had said about health professionals, that no matter what i thought about the situation, they had seen it hundreds of times before and im just another number. So when my breasts were on display and the nurse was putting tape on them i just had a conversation with her. So with that done, it was just the dietician. I was prepared for him to say that i need to do 2 weeks of Optifast 3 meals a day with some vegetables at dinner, but this wasn’t the case and i was shocked. Dr Kow did not request that i have Optifast 2 weeks prior. It must of been the Ultrasound of my liver that showed that nothing was out of the ordinary. Perplexed as to what i do now the Dietician said just continue what i am doing now.
So i have decided that i will do Optislim and have lots of fruit and vegies but no meat or anything else. Its just for two weeks and i know it will be hard but i want this surgery to be a success and i don’t want to be the person who could of done something to stop a situation from occurring. I have in my fridge at the moment, a handful of grapes and celery and carrots all chopped up ready to be my lunch at work. I think i will end up being excited for steamed vegies for dinner.

Tomorrow is the official start day of my Pre-Op diet, so i will jump on the Wii Fit to get a Pre-Op Diet starting weight tomorrow morning, before i head to the gym. Although i know what i have weighed in the past from the very first appointment with Dr Kow, i believe that my weight tomorrow should be my start as my Lapband Journey officially starts tomorrow!

Telling People

I think for about 3 months only Bianca and Ben knew that i was going to have the surgery done, and that was fine with me. Then it all started to change, i couldn’t think up of excuses for all these doctors visits, i just kept saying they were for “check ups”. I believe now i have told alot of people that i should not of, but you cant change the past only your future, so look out here i come!

My next friends that i told were Selma and Vicky, the 3 of us always compared our notes on different diets etc as even though i was trying to lose lots of weight they were just trying to lose like 15kg. It was always good having the discussion and knowing that i am not the only one struggling with my weight. On one girls night, i told them. They were excited for me but cautious at the same time. I think they didn’t really know what to think of it. But as the months rolled on i believe they are confident it will work for me.

In October/November i told a few girls at work, it just came up in a conversation one day. They didn’t say anything back and thats when i knew that maybe i should not of told them!

I mentioned to my eldest sister online that i was having surgery done, and it was completely by mistake i was watching something on TV and as i can touch type i was just typing what i was thinking. She pressed for more information and i eventually told her. She asked if i had told Mum and Dad and i hadn’t yet, i wasn’t even sure if i was going too.

My eldest sisters reaction at the time was supportive but i found out later that she mentioned to Ben that i was doing something drastic and i should be able to do it on my own. I just love how its the people who have never been obese say that i should be able to do this on my own. I would love to see them gain 50kg and try and try and try to lose the weight.

I told another girl at work about my surgery and was amazing she said that she knew a friend who had it done and the changes that happened to her, it was great listening to her and as each of my appointments occurred in the New Year we both got excited together.

It was heading to Christmas of 2008 and at the last minute decided to book a flight home for Christmas to see my Mum and Dad. I knew that Mum and Dad would be ok with it, but they would have a million questions and i was hoping they would just let me run with it. Surprisingly, the questions didn’t come. The only question was “are you sure” and “who is your surgeon” i answered both of these questions and as my parents are nurses they made sure my surgeon had a good reputation within the industry. I informed my parents and my sister not to tell my other sister about the surgery as it is my surgery to tell. My elder sister would turn this into something else completely and i just didn’t want to hear it.

As i headed i home, i realised that the New Year was approaching and i would have my first appointment with Dr Kow on the 8th. It was very exciting for me.

About 3 weeks ago, i told 2 other girls at work about the surgery. One gave me a hug and wished me the best of luck and said i was brave. The other wanted to hear more about it. She then confided in me that when she gets back from her trip to wherever she is going, she is going to give Weight Watchers one more try and if not, surgery it is for her. I thought in my head “i don’t think you really know what this is all about” but i guess if she does make the decision to go forth with it then she will learn its not a walk in the park.

From all the experiences of telling people what is happening, i guess you can only learn for yourself who are the right people. I was completely blown away by the support of some people and astounded at the reactions of others. I think only you yourself can know who you can fully trust and sometimes a secret isn’t that bad is it?

The Decision

There was an advertisement for Lapband Surgery in the paper with Dr Justin Bessell from the Adelaide Obesity Clinic which was being held next door to my work and i thought "its a sign i have to find out about this properly, there is no excuses" so i contacted them and registered my name and headed to The Stamford Hotel to hear about this practice.

Surprisingly, it was well presented. It was everything i wanted to hear, the ups and downs, the statistics of failures and i was able to listen to the surgeon who would actually perform the surgery. By the end of the seminar i was convinced that this was going to assist me with my weight loss journey. Ive tried for years and i believe that this is going to be consistant. So now the money question, i wanted to know when i could do it!

Dr Bessell emailed me all the information about his clinic, i needed to see a Bariatric Physician, Psychologist, Exercise Therapist and a Dietician even before i got to see him. I worked it out that i would have about $2000 in appointments. He then said that if i didnt have Private Health Insurance (which i didnt) it would cost $13,000. But if i did have Private Health Insurance then it would be a $3000 gap. The next day i researched Private Health Insurance i wanted the Top Extras (so i could claim all these appointments) and Top Hospital (so that i knew that i would be covered if something ever happened) as a result of my investigation MBF were the cheapest with the best benefits. When i do have my surgery, it is not costing me a cent! I signed up to MBF on 18 April 2008 and believed that by end of April 2009 i would be banded.

This also gave me a chance to really think about my decision, and i am 100% happy with it. I didnt tell anyone at first, i thought about what they may say etc but then i thought to myself i do not care this is my life, and im doing this for me. So i told a girl at work Bianca, who confided in me that she was planning on having it done too, i was relieved, i was able to talk to someone other than Ben about this.

In July 2009 there was a seminar being held by another group Adelaide Bariatric Centre with guest speaker Mikey Robbins. I didnt realise that there were more clinics around that do this, so i thought its harmless ill go even if it was just to meet Mikey. On the day of the seminar i was going to not go, but then a lightblulb clicked, just go its only 1 hr!

Upon listening to their presentation i found that they were more scientific, belonged to more things. When it came to the pricing i was ready to hear the total of $5000 like the clinic i had been attending. They announced that they suscribed to a "no Gap" policy for Hospital and as they wanted to monitor their patients a fee of $2200 was all that was required for the Dietician, Psychologist, Bariatric Physician and all the other people on their list, and they went onto say that that was for a 12 month period after the surgery. Automatically i was like, i am going to save money here and i dont have much of it. It was at that point that i decided to switch.

Mikey Robbins speech was heart warming, i cried in parts as i could relate to it. I dont think anyone else can sympathise what it is like to be fat when you have never been fat. Just hearing Mikey was just awesome. Mikey if you ever stumble this blog, Thanks so much for sharing your story and for signing an autograph for me.

After the seminar i started to compare the clinic and found that they were a much of a muchness and i decided that $3000 in my pocket was better than theirs. I then booked an appointment in the New Year to see the clinic as i though that being so far away from my Private Health Insurance lapsing 12 months would just annoy me.

My decision was to have the surgery through the Adelaide Bariatric Centre with Dr Lilian Kow as my surgeon.

Next up....Telling people

Hi *waves*

Welcome to my first post, I’ve never had a Blog before so no doubt you will see constant changes with the layout etc until I’m kind of happy with it. My reason for starting a Blog is to be able to share my Lapband Surgery for people who are either, my friends and family, those who have been banded and want to know how i am going, those who are interested in banding and want to learn more and also perhaps you may just stumble across my blog when you are surfing the net when you are supposed to be productive at work. Whatever the reason, i hope to update my blog regularly to firstly keep myself logged and to be of assistance for anyone else. Even though my journey will never end with the ‘band’ i may deviate to other things for example my wedding (if my partner ever proposes).

Now i think is a good time to introduce myself properly, my name is Jess i am 26 and in a little over two weeks i will be banded. My partner and I have been together for over 3 years and although i may discuss just the negative aspects of my relationship on here, please be aware that i love him dearly and you know what who communicates the positive stuff anyway this blog is a venting tool.

I currently work for a large Energy Company and have been there for over 2 years, i love my role within the business but that has to come to end when i have my surgery and i will be resuming another role. I will be attempting to get back there eventually. I have 3 close girlfriends who i love almost as much as Ben, and i know they will be cheering me on this quest.

So why Lapband? Why not just Exercise and watch my Nutrition? Well i have tried that. Im actually a qualified Personal Trainer, yet i lack the motivation to train. You will be pleased to know that i have been attending my gym for the past 6 weeks and not just once, but 3 times a week. I think thats a great effort for me, usually i last 4 weeks and then i stop altogether. Currently, im studying a Certificate III in Nutrition and Dietetic Assistance and i should complete this by the end of the year.

I have tried the following weight loss programs, Weight Watchers, Reductil, OptiSlim, Atkins, Low Gi, CSIRO, No Fat. All of these have failed in the long term and i feel that Lapband is a long term solution to my Nutrition. Lapband is not for those people who would like a quick fix. My partner suggested a few years ago having the surgery and i automatically disregarded the option as i believed that it was an extreme measure and i should be able to do this on my own. I know now that i need this and just so everyone knows upfront that even though Ben suggested it years ago, this is my decision and mine alone.

I have always been the fat one, whether it be in the family or at school. I can recall being a Ladies size 12 when i was 12 and thought that that meant that i was growing up and it was normal. However when my friends were in Size 8 etc i knew that i was bigger but this was not my awakening. I continued not to worry about anything with my weight, i just concentrated on my studies and i believed that everything else would fall into place. Little did i know that by the time i graduated from High School, i had become a size 24. I look at my formal photos and cringe. My high school reunion is actually in November, so i am wondering how much weight could i lose by then? Has anyone else been the fat kid in school been bullied etc and then returned for a reunion alot slimmer and just wanted to throw it in their faces? I would like this to happen for me.

So i guess thats it for now. I am being Banded on 25 May 2009 and i start my Pre-Op Diet on Monday 11 May. I will Blog about the pre-op requirements and i how i chose the clinic tomorrow.

Until then...